Rio de Janeiro Travel Guide

Address: Cristo Redentor,Alto da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Brazil

Arguably the most famous symbol of Rio de Janeiro, the statue of Christ the Redeemer stands 38-meters tall atop of Corcovado peak in the Tijuca Forest of Rio de Janiero. The statue itself looks exactly how you’d expect it to when you reach it, although seeing the back of it is a novelty at first. The main attraction, however, is the stunning city view from the base of the statue, which is breathtaking on a clear day.

The statue is reached by taxi up a winding road leaving from the inland side of Corcovado, or visitors can take the steep railway, which trundles 3.8 kilometers up the mountain every half hour. Two things can make visiting complicated. One is that the top of the statue is often completely within a cloud cover, which can come and go in a short time. If this happens the people selling the train tickets at the base will let you know, and actually going up is almost pointless in those conditions.

The other complication is the train can only take 180 passengers each half hour, and on clear days waiting times can be several hours. At that point you’ll see taxi drivers ready to take you, but on the most crowded days the road up the hill gets packed as well.

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily

Admission: Seeing the statue is free, but getting there is not unless you walk

Address: Copacabana,Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Brazil

Rivaling Ipanema as Rio de Janiero’s most famous beach, Copacabana is 4 kilometers of some of the most gorgeous shoreline located in any city in the world. The northern half of this renowned strip is actually known as Leme, and is slightly down-market, but the casual visitor wouldn’t really know the difference unless someone told them.

The sand of Copacabana is one of Brazil’s best-known landmarks, as it’s nearly always in use for revealing (but not nude) sunbathing, and various beach sports. A variation of volleyball that is played only with the feet is popular here, and often draws a crowd when the best players are involved.

The other side of the divided street that runs along the beach is lined with hotels and condominium buildings. Several 4-star hotels are prominent in the center of the strip, even though Ipanema is actually known to be a bit more luxurious. As beautiful as Copacabana Beach is, visitors should never go out toward the water alone at night. Robberies are extremely common, as small groups of hoodlums often comb the area looking for tourists to intimidate and rob. It’s beautiful and fun, but be careful.

Admission: Free

Hours: Always open, but don’t go at night.

Address: Estádio Mário Filho - Maracanã,Rio de Janeiro - RJ, BRA

Officially known as The Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Maracana Stadium is one of the largest and most famous sports venues in the world. The facility opened in 1950 to host Brazil’s World Cup matches that year, and a reported 200,000 fans attended the final game of the Cup, most of them standing. Not long after that, the stadium switched to an all-seat layout and it currently holds 95,000 for football matches.

Today the stadium is often used for the matches between the biggest clubs in Brazil including Flamengo, Botafogo, and Fluminense, as well as other large sporting events and concerts. The stadium is a highlight of many city bus tours, and special guided tours of inside the stadium are available as well.

Seeing a local match is quite easy and inexpensive if tickets are available. The stadium can be reached by subway from most of the tourist districts, which is helpful because it’s not in a particularly interesting part of the city otherwise. Maracana Stadium is schedule to host the final game of the 2014 World Cup.

Admission: Depends on event

Hours: Depends on event

Address: Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Brazil

The most famous granite morro in Rio de Janeiro is also one of its most famous tourist attractions. Visible from Copacabana Beach as well was Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf guards a corner of Rio with its twin peaks that are one of the city’s best known landmarks. The tip rises 396 meters (1,299 feet) from its base.

Many city bus tours include a stop at the base of Sugarloaf, as well as entrance on the dual cable cars that bring up to 75 passengers at a time first up the large mound in front of Sugarloaf, and then after a short walk to the next one, up to the peak of the morro.

There are viewing platforms on both peaks, but before going up it’s important to check the visibility. One or both peaks are often socked in with a dense cloud cover, which makes visiting nearly pointless. In clear weather, especially the view from the higher peak can be incredible. Copacabana Beach stretches up in one direction and most of downtown Rio is off in the other.

Admission: R$30 for adults to ride the cable car, R$20 for ages 5 to 12

Hours 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily